Love Like You
by Kasanelover
Summary: "Maybe, just maybe. . .I can learn to love just like you."
1. Chapter 1

On backstage was where she stood, glaring at the chimera from behind while members of the audience took too many pictures and asked for autographs or pictures like their lives depended on it. This was the first of many performances she would attend not to sing her heart out but to watch quietly backstage.

Now, Miku had publicity like this quite frequently; when she stepped into the human realm and her singing was heard, a swarm of fans would arrive quicker than a dog hearing their owner open a bag of chips. Sometimes it would be so bad, police would have to get involved just do she could take a step in any direction. But seeing Teto with similar attention. . .it doesn't feel right she thought. She couldn't figure out why she felt this way; after all, Teto is a fellow "loid" like her and performs frequently like she does. She was even featured in a few music videos and games with the other Vocaloids. So why did it bother Miku so much that she had a large following on her own? She soon began to feel "off" about Teto's other features, again with no explanation. But there was one feature that made her narrow her eyes and fidget harder than she already was: Teto's smile. A very gentle, warming smile that once you saw it, you would find yourself smiling too. Miku's right eye started to twitch as she watched Teto longer. But everything quickly reverted when the audience finally let Teto be and the chimera walked in her direction.

"Hey Miku. What'd you think?" Teto asked with the very smile Miku grew to suddenly hate for no apparent reason.

Miku cleared her throat and held her hands behind her back. She glanced at everything to her sides before focussing on Teto. "Umm. . .great. It was great!"

"Are you sure? You don't have to lie to me you know, I'm always striving to improve and don't mind constructive criticism."

"No no, it was great for real!" Miku nodded and held up her hands as if Teto was about to attack her and she had to calm her down. "Although. . .the holiday decorations are, uh, distracting a bit."

Teto eyed the stage's decorations; it was nice and all but the people in charge of them were still in the process of removing Halloween decorations and putting up the winter holiday ones. As a result, about half the stage had homemade winter holiday decor and a pinch of fake snow and the other half had "only scary if you see them in your peripheral vision the first couple of times" Halloween decor.

"Hmm. . .yeah. The humans are still shifting things from Halloween to Christmas. I think they'll be done the next time I perform here." Teto looked back at Miku. "Thanks for coming along by the way. I know your season doesn't start until later this month and not everyone likes the human world as much as I do. . ."

"It's fine, it's fine. You don't need to thank me. If anything, I appreciate the invite." Miku gave a small smile and nod.

Once there were few to none humans nearby, Miku pressed a concealed button on the speakers at her sides, causing a portal to open up beneath her feet. She crossed her arms as if she was going down a water slide and fell right in. Before it closed, Teto sprouted her wings and swooped in. She barely made it out, for if she had gone in only a second later, she might have lost some of her tail or foot from the portal shutting.

Miku watched as Teto dove right past her in this long, light blue tunnel with circuit patterns. She gasped and reached her hand out to Teto, slowing her down a bit "Teto, watch out!! There's a reason I got in FEET first!"

But it was too late. Teto was too far ahead of Miku to hear her and was heading towards the exit like a giant bullet. Miku went back to her original position and caught up with Teto in due time. She landed gracefully on her feet as the portal ejected her and disappeared as quickly as it appeared. When she landed, she saw Teto had faceplanted into the sidewalk not too far from where the portal once was. Fortunately she was a "loid" and loids were able to endure such injuries in their world; the human world was a completely different story.

Nevertheless, Miku checked up on Teto. "Teto!!" She crouched down and reached a hand to Teto's shoulder.

Teto lifted her head and shook off the damage. The worst that happened to her was her headset getting a little scratched. Considering it was rather old and she had to get it replaced before the end of her season anyways, this was nothing.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. . .wow, you have an interesting way of getting home."

"Interesting how? We all leave and come back the same way."

"Not necessarily." Teto circled Miku and spun around a bit. "Kaito uses a disc to get home that kinda goes through the same tunnel you go through. Rin and Len use mirrors and scan themselves back here. Oliver uses that bird of his to return here, though I still don't know how it works. . .and Piko constantly 'charges' himself so he can run faster than the speed of sound and show up here!"

Miku narrowed her eyes slightly. "How do you know all of that?"

"They've all shown me of course! Minus Oliver, who tried to show me but his bird refused to work its magic in front of anyone other than Oliver. I wonder if it's because I call it an 'it' rather than a 'their'. . ."

"James is a boy. He's sensitive about that for some reason. On top of that, he and Oliver are virtually inseparable so it's not surprising he won't show his 'technique' in front of you. Weird little bird he is but he makes Oliver happy."

". . .I guess you can say he's a bit peck-uliar?"

"I hate you right now."

Teto laughed and hovered beside Miku. "Come on, you know it was funny!"

As much as she hated to admit it, Teto was right; that pun was pretty funny. But Miku wouldn't outright tell her. Instead, she sighed and went back on track.

"Anyways. . .why did they show you? Did you go to their shows or something?"

Teto shook her head. "I stumbled upon most of them after their shows, we hung out, and next thing you know, they're offering me a way home!"

"Who didn't you see after their show?"

"Piko but that's because he doesn't really do shows. . .he's more of a small time performer and even then, the humans don't really seem all that excited for him, say for a few huge fans. He just wanted to wander in the human realm for a while and invited me along!"

"Poor Piko," Miku thought. She had known Piko for years and saw his popularity gradually decline, despite him being as good as the rest of them. He had a good heart but unfortunately, a good heart wasn't always enough to become famous or stay relevant.

"Plus, our first date was kiiiiiindaaa in the human world."

"DATE?!?! I-I thought he was Rin's boy or something, when did you guys start DATING"

"Umm. . .let me see. . ." Teto silently counted her fingers. ". . .six years."

"Six years?! SIX?!? SIX?!?!"

Teto nodded. "Soon to be seven! But anyways. . .I'm surprised you didn't know that they all come and go into the human realm in their own way."

Miku had to literally shake off the shock of hearing Teto and Piko's relationship. "We'll talk about that later. . ." She cleared her throat and straightened herself out. "When I'm with the others, I'm the one who takes us home. That being said. . .how do you get home, Teto?"

"I fly as fast and as swift as a Peregrine Falcon and use my sleeve panels to create a series of rings I fly through to get me home."

"A whaa. . .? Well, that explains why you were so quick to dive in like that. . ." Miku scratched the back of her head a bit.

Teto nodded and roosted on the roof of a nearby building. Said building wasn't too high and there weren't many loids nearby so Teto didn't have to yell. "Not everyone spawns where you do either. I obviously don't since I don't live here. . .but Piko always shows up somewhere new and Kaito always reappears on a disc similar to the one he uses, only much bigger and attached to a machine."

Miku slowly nodded. "Huh. I guess my way of coming home and going to the human world is interesting."

Teto nodded and looked out to the setting sun of Miku's home. "Well, I have to get going. I need to help the UTAUs set up for the holidays and I think Piko wanted to meet up with me in the ally around here. But before I go. . .do you want to come to my next show?"

Miku's random negative emotions about Teto began to swell inside her. She widened her and inhaled sharply. "U-um. . .sure! Yeah yeah, I'll totally go!"

Teto narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. "Are you sure? You don't have to go, I know you Vocaloids work very hard and need as much down time as you can get."

"No, it's fine, really! I just uhh. . .remembered that I have to help my friends set up decorations too!" Miku laughed nervously.

"Umm. . ." Teto looked around, only to see the city filled with holiday cheer in every corner; even the building she was on was wrapped with Christmas lights and had a giant wreath just above the entrance riddled with its own lights. "It looks like you guys already did that."

"Umm. . .uhh. . .buuuuuut we haven't done my house! Yeah, my house needs a kiss of holiday cheer!"

". . .I saw your house earlier today and it literally has a giant, VERY well lit tree on top of the roof with an equally as illuminated display of Santa Claus and his reindeer to the right of it. And in the backyard, you have the even MORE giant New Year pearl totem just waiting eagerly to be turned on and lit."

Miku began to sweat and fidgeted. "III uhhh. . ."

Teto flew off of the roof and landed in front of Miku. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think you should sit this one out. . .even though I'm the one who asked. Kinda funny how things change in just a couple of minutes, isn't it?"

"Umm. . .yeah. . ."

"I think all the stress from singing for the humans and making sure everything is ready for the winter holidays is starting to get to youyou. You look really anxious. . .like you're gonna explode! Go home and rest."

"No no, I'm fine really!" Miku straightened up. "I mean, maybe I'll go take a nap or something but otherwise, I'm as fine as the Sexiest Woman of the Year in the human world!"

Teto giggled. "Very funny, Miku. Alright, I'll take your word for it. But please don't push yourself or anything. I don't want you to regret coming to the human world like a few loids I know. . ."

Miku saluted Teto. "I'll be fine, Teto. I pinky promise." She held up her pinky. "You can't deny a pinky promise."

Teto wrapped her pinky around Miku's. "That's true. . .alright. I'll fly over when it's time to go."

Miku nodded and waved with her other hand.

Teto unwrapped her pinky and gave Miku a gentle smile. She then looked to the sky in silence before spreading her wings, stepping away from Miku, and taking off. She was initially wobbly in the air but stabilized the more she flew. When she could no longer see her flying towards the darker part of the sky, Miku made her way back home.

During her walk home, she let her unexplained rage seep out. She clenched her fists and muttered something negative between her teeth, though it was indecipherable. Then she began to question the situation again.

"Why do I feel this way about her? Why do I feel like ripping her vocal chords out and throwing them in the ocean? She didn't do anything wrong. . .right? I doubt someone like her, while very mischievous, wouldn't do something so bad, I somehow managed to forget and remember it at the same time. . .is that even possible?! UGH!! I just wish I could take that smile of hers and--"

"Hey Miku."

Miku jumped up and quickly silenced the voice in her head. She looked around, only to see a pair of seemingly glowing eyes--one green and one blue--staring at her in a relaxed fashion.

Piko.

"Oh, uh, hey Piko!" Miku said, waving frantically at the white haired boy.

"What has you so angry? I feel like I can hear your thoughts from here! Did someone dye your stockings pee-yellow again?" Piko asked with a chuckle.

Miku turned a bit red. "No! And that wasn't funny!"

Piko chuckled some more as he approached Miku. "Look on the bright side, at least it wasn't actual pee." He placed his hand on a wall next to Miku, right above her head. He looked down at her. "What's on your mind, leek girl?"

"It's a green onion. And it's about Teto. . ."

"Did she drop you while hauling you around in the air?"

"No."

"Threw a bread at your head?"

"No."

"Hmm. . .did that tail of hers come to life as a snake and bite you?"

"No. . .where'd you get THAT from?"

"It's been a rumor spreading around here lately. I know her tail is. . .well, a tail but I never saw it come to life like the way people have been saying it does."

"Right, right. . .speaking of which. . .YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN DATING?!?"

"Umm, yeeaahhh? I thought you knew already? Literally everyone else knows about it! Unless. . ." Piko smirked.

"Unless what?" Miku narrowed her eyes.

"You," Piko put a finger on Miku's nose and closed in on her face. ". . .are jealous."

"Jealous? Really Piko?"

"Well, it would explain why you're so angry and unaware of my relationship with Teto. You know, I remember when I asked you on a date when I was still considered a shota. I remember the exact words you told teensy weensy, 'too cute to be taken seriously unless danger arises and all else fails' me." Piko cleared his throat and adjusted his blue bow tie. With his best Miku impression, he said, "Oh Piko, you sweet little white bean. You're not old enough for me. 'I'm 16.' You and I could never be an item, you're just tooooooooo cute to be anymore than a reaaaaally good friend. Hehehehee!!"

"I do not sound like that!"

Piko dropped the impression. "Then you gave me a kiss on the forehead and a hug and left me be. In front of EVERYONE. And now. . .look at me now. I finally look 'adult' enough to you, don't I? And now, you're going after the tail you friendzoned so long ago. Well guess what, girlfriend?!" He put his hands on his hips and held up a finger as if he were the sassiest boy Miku was ever gonna meet in a long time. He moved his head from side to side as he spoke. "You're too late! HMPH!" He did an over dramatic twirl and whipped his tail up so high, it looked like he was throwing a streamer.

Miku's jaw dropped. She stared at Piko in silence, confused and furious. She didn't know if she wanted to strike him and then explain or spare him from a foot to bells just for the holidays; she went for the former and punched him in the arm.

"You knucklehead! I'm FAR from jealous about your relationship with her! Me and Kaito have been doing pretty solid for the past couple of months. So HMPH on that!"

Piko rubbed his arm. "Are you surree? I won't laugh or tease ya or any--"

"YES."

"Alright, alright. But what has you as angry as Neru without her phone? Especially towards Teto of all loids."

"Well. . ." Miku took a deep breath and began to fidget again. "The thing is, I'm not really sure why. She wanted someone to go to the human world with her for her performance so I tagged along since I had nothing better to do at the time. But when she finished and I saw her audience go up to her and her reaction. . .I don't know. Something just burst in me and I can't figure out why or what it is."

"Hmm. . .that does seem odd. You have far more fans and have better stage maintenance than she does. Not to mention how your place looks compared to hers. There's nothing to be jealous about!"

"I know, I know!" Miku held her head. "But I can't shake the feeling off. She didn't do anything wrong and here I am being some kind of prick about it. What should I do?"

"Maybe you're just tired and thus more irritable. Your previous season only ended like what, a week or two ago? You need to stay out of the human world awhile and clear your head."

"But here's the thing. . .I kinda told Teto I would go with her tomorrow. . .and I pinky swore that I'd be fine."

"I'm sure she'll understand if you cancel, even if you did the 'oh so sacred' pinky promise. I'll even tell her for you if you want."

"No, I'm not canceling. I'm fine, really. . .I know me better than anyone else ya know."

"Yeah but sometimes you blind yourself to the reality of things." Piko sighed. "Well, if you aren't going to cancel, I guess I'll have to go with you guys. Just to make sure you don't lose your head or try to tear off Teto's."

Miku crossed her arms. "I don't think Teto would want you coming along on the closest thing to girls' trip we've done in who knows how long."

"Ever."

Miku rolled her eyes. "Whatever. My point still stands."

"Well, as many of the ladies have said, I'm the most 'lady like' of all the men. And maybe even more than a few girls. If I had implants and my voice remained the same as it was before my much needed transformation--"

"You got taller, a tiny bit more muscle, and your balls dropped. That's it."

". . .as I was saying, I could definitely blend in a girl and no one would know the difference. Therefore, I'm completely qualified for this 'girls trip' and can go no problem. And besides, me tagging along is for a good cause."

"Hmph. Fine. But when she says no, I'm gonna say 'I told you so' as many times as I can tomorrow AND the day after."

"Fair enough." Piko backed away from the wall and pulled out a pocket watch. "I gotta get going. Teto's house is pretty far from here."

". . .you still use one of those?" Miku pointed at the pocket watch.

Piko nodded. "I considered in investing in one of those watches that track your movement and encourage you to exercise but then I remembered the whole reason I don't have a wristwatch is because someone stole it. It wasn't even a fancy one! Humans these days. . .anyways, see ya tomorrow." Piko playfully rubbed Miku's head and began walking.

Miku fixed her hair and watched Piko until he was out of her line of sight. She continued her path back home and her rage for Teto had yet to cease. Not even the sight of the jolliest man sitting on a sleigh on her roof was enough to make her grin in the slightest way possible, nor were the reindeer or inflatable snowman bobbing happily from side to side with the breeze. She slammed the door so hard upon entering, snow from the roof fell down and the holiday display shook. Thankfully, nothing toppled over.

That night was fairly quiet for Miku, at least in terms of outside interactions. No one called, e-mailed, or texted her, which is surprising since someone is _always_ texting her at this time. And she wasn't in the mood to strike a conversation. The most sound she ever made was random profanity and barbaric yells.

"FUCK!! SHIT!! DAMN!! AARRGGHHH!!!!"

After a few of those, she watched some television with a cup of tea so hot, she could barely see through the steam. She drank it without letting it cool; the loids had feelings and could experience physical pain but one thing they were immune to were extreme temperatures. After all, their performances required them to be able to sing in all kinds of clothing in all sorts of temperatures in the human world; this was why Miku could sing holiday classics in a sexy Santa costume when there was snow or why Kaito could strut around in his signature blue scarf and _only_ that scarf in the same conditions. That being said, the tea didn't do much, if anything, to her.

Finally, she stomped upstairs, ate a melatonin gummy, and plopped onto her bed. Her anger didn't subside until the melatonin started kicking in and even then, it subsided very slowly.

"Damn. . .hrrumph. . .always smiling and. . .hmph." She began to crawl under her blanket in hopes the extra sense of security would not only make her fall asleep faster but make her calm down faster as well.

It took a while of staring at her digital clock to start questioning her unreasonable behavior again. She began to come up with all kinds of theories; maybe she didn't like Teto's hair anymore. Maybe she didn't like her breath, which always smelled like French bread. Maybe she realized she doesn't like the color red anymore and having to deal with someone who was _born_ with red on her was beginning to irk her. Maybe. . .

Suddenly Miku remembered something Kaai Yuki and Haruka Nana had told her a long while ago.

 _A Long While Ago_

Miku was stuck watching two of the youngest loids around while their caretakers were running errands. Fortunately, these two were quite independent and only really needed Miku to go out at night. Kaai Yuki was reading a book and writing her own story while Haruka Nana was making tea for everyone.

It was pretty quiet between all of them so Yuki decided to break the silence when a random but very interesting conversation starter.

"Have you ever considered a UTAU uprising?"

Miku lifted her head stared at Yuki with widened eyes.

"You do realize that _I'm_ a UTAU, right?" Nana asked as she started placing cups on the table.

"Yeah. Therefore, the question applies to you more than anything at the moment. Would you start or join a rebellion against the Vocaloids?"

"Of course not! What about you? Would you join such a cruel fight just because others were joining or commence it just for the sake of starting a fight or making sure the humans focus on Vocaloids and Vocaloids _only_?"

"Nope!" Yuki shifted her attention to Miku. "That just leaves you, Hastune. Would you lead the war that could wipe out _all of us_?"

"No no! Not even in a dream! What brought this on anyways?"

"Well in my book, there's this war that started because the two 'Alpha species' of the story's world feel they can't live together. Which ever species survives this war. . .well, keeps going for generations to come while the other species gradually gets forgotten or their existence becomes nothing for than a myth or legend for future generations. And looking at the UTAUs. . .no offense Nana, but some of'em are crazy."

Nana sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately. If such a war were to happen, I imagine Tei would be the one to start it."

Miku and Yuki inhaled sharply; hearing about Tei Sukone sent shivers down their spines, for that UTAU in particular **_hated_** all Vocaloids, minus one. And she wasn't afraid to _kill_ to get what she wanted, even if the person she needed to kill was as young as Yuki. To make matter worse, Miku was the Vocaloid she wanted dead the most.

"Yeah. . .but umm. . ." Miku cleared her throat and swallowed hard. "You don't think she'd. . . _actually_ get everyone on her side, r-right?"

Nana shook her head. "Of course not. But she'd definitely have a following. She's not the only one who despises Vocaloids and even then, she can be persuasive and give those who could care less a reason to fight. Honestly. . .I can see her somehow getting _Teto_ on board."

"The chimera?! She wouldn't. . .maybe not. . .mmm. . .nah, I can totally see her fighting alongside Tei." Yuki put a sugar cube in her tea and took a sip out of it. "Mmmm, good job on this one."

Miku looked down and began to think about how the UTAU uprising could go. If Teto was on board, a majority of the UTAUs would follow no question, she represented them after all. She began to think so loudly to herself, it's surprising no one picked up on it. _"Teto. Teto. . ."_

 _Teto._

 _Present Day_

. . .a UTAU uprising was on the horizon. Well, that was Miku's theory anyways. It explained her sudden hatred perfectly! What if she was picking up on Teto's urge to rise against the Vocaloids and wipe them out like that one book Kaai Yuki was talking about? That would mean her body was preparing her for war long before anyone knew it was coming. _Good job body!_ Miku thought.

With a seemingly reasonable explanation to put her at ease, Miku drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were both good and bad: Good because Miku's anger was finally justified but bad because the war was a brutal sight.

To make matters worse: Teto was winning.


	2. Chapter 2

Miku was pouting as she once again stood backstage while Teto sang her heart out for the humans. This time, her anger didn't put a damper on things- _yet_. Instead, it was Piko Utatane who had her as bitter as the Grinch this morning. He had managed to prove her wrong and come along on the performance despite being the only boy in the group. The only condition he had to follow was no one else-especially the boys like Kaito or Len-could follow him. As much as Teto loved company on these performances, she couldn't take the risk of a fight breaking out or accidental chaos in general.

"Hate to say I told you so but-" Piko bent over and whispered mischievously in Miku's ear. " _I told you so_."

"Fuck off," Miku snapped.

Piko pulled back. "Feisty much?" He giggled and continued watching Teto sing.

Miku rolled her eyes and turned her back to Piko. She sighed as she watched Teto sing and dance on the stage. She would even fly around to high five everyone; _literally everyone_. After a third round of high fives, the performance finally ended the same way it did last time. Everyone wanted autographs and pictures. Teto obliged. Miku's anger began to build again.

"Keep your cool, Miku. I think I can feel your anger from here," Piko said.

"Hmph. Are you sure it's not just because it's hot in here?"

"Hot?! You're trying to tell me it's _hot_ in the middle of _winter?!_ I don't even think a pineapple would fall for that."

Miku ignored Piko's nonsense until Teto turned to them. She lifted her head and pulled off fake smile. Then she pulled him by his bow tie and whispered in his ears. Piko coughed and gasped.

"Prepare for war," she said and she released him as quickly as she grabbed him.

"What?!"

Teto approached them with the same smile as yesterday. "Hey you two! What'd you think this time around? The humans finished up the stage and there were three more people than yesterday!"

"You did great, Teto." Piko leaned in to kiss Teto on the cheek.

Mere seconds before Piko came in contact with Teto, Miku yanked on his tail so hard, it was a mystery how the tail was still attached to him.

"AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Piko screeched and held onto his tail. He fell to the floor and rolled from side to side as the pain began to move to more parts of his body.

"Piko!" Teto knelt down to him but Miku stepped in her way.

"Hold it right there, Kasane. I think I know what you're up to now." Miku narrowed her eyes.

"What are you talking about?!" Teto backed away and her tail curled up.

"I knew there was a reason, I just knew it! You're trying to start an uprising against the Vocaloids! To wipe us clean from this world! Well guess what, chimera girl? We Vocaloids won't go down without a fight and we'll surely come out on top!" Miku stood proudly.

Teto stood silent before slowly clapping and smirking. "Wow. So you figured it out, huh?"

"Uh huh!" As confident as she looked on the outside, Miku was more than terrified and screeching like a thousand banshees on the inside. "You can't hide it forever!"

Teto circled Miku and Piko and studied them both. "Uh huh. . .you've caught me red handed."

"Yeah, yeeaahhh. Kaai Yuki was right! . . .I'm not sure how I feel about giving someone so young credit for something like this to be honest." Miku looked down.

"Yep, she sure was. And you want to know what my first move will be?"

Miku narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.

Teto stepped up to Miku and narrowed her eyes before smacking her on the forehead. It wasn't enough to inflict pain but it was enough to be heard and make Miku stumble back. "Smack the crazy outta you! Are you out of your mind?!"

Miku shook her head and glared at Teto. "Outta my mind?! **YOU'RE** the one trying to start a war!"

"I, or ANY UTAUs for that matter, are NOT starting a war! There's no uprising, no revolution, no whatever!"

"But you said-"

"I was _kidding_! I didn't think you'd actually fall for it!" Teto face-palmed.

"She's lost it! And she's pulled my tail! My beautiful tail!" Piko held onto his tail as tightly as a child would hold their teddy bear.

"Calm down, Piko. It's still in one piece." Teto knelt down again and patted Piko on the shoulder.

"But it hurt! A lot! How would you like it if someone pulled your tail with the force of-of. . .of. . .an angry bull?!" Piko rolled away from everyone.

Teto shook her head in disappointment. "Anyways. . ."

"I did that to save your life, nimrod! Next time I'll let the enemy claw your cheekbones out!"

Teto held her hands up in the front of Miku. "Okayokayokay, Miku, you've gone crazy. And not the good kind of crazy. You need a nap."

"A nap. A _nap_. What am I, two years old?"

"I just think it would help. Everyone needs naps, even someone as hyperactive as Rin when she eats too many orange candies. Maybe it'll make your delusions go away!"

"They're not del-"

Teto put a hand on Miku's shoulder. "I'll even give you a lift home!"

"No, that's not really-"

Teto nudged Miku outside and used her tail to signal Piko to follow. "It's _very_ necessary. Plus, it'll be fun!"

"I agree with Teto," Piko said, raising his hand as if it mattered.

"Shut up, Piko!" Miku said between clenched teeth.

Teto pressed a few buttons on her sleeves, causing the pink edges to glow vibrantly. Afterward, she grabbed Miku's hands and spread her wings. She flew until Miku's feet were dangling above Piko's head, just within arm reach.

"C'mon, Piko! Grab into Miku's ankles!"

"What!? No no, Piko don't even THINK about touching--"

"Too late!" Piko grabbed Miku's ankles and looked up to Teto. "Ready for take off, babe!"

And so she did. The initial start up was a bit slow but her speed increased with time. She would do a spin or two every so often, making her passengers swing like a merry-go-round.

"Wha-wha-wait! I don't think I want to go through with this!!" Miku watched in horror as the buildings beneath her became specks and the clouds were in touching range.

"You'll be fine! It'll be over before you know it!" Teto said as she hovered over the clouds.

Soon, a large, glowing, pink ring spawned in the air some feet away from the trio. The edges of her sleeves stopped glowing. She wagged her tail in excitement.

"Umm. . .what's next?!"

"The dive!" Piko and Teto said in unison.

And before poor Miku could protest again, Teto closed her wings and dived towards the ring. When she soared through it, it instantly vanished and a new ring appeared farther down; this happened for just about every ring she flew into.

"I DON'T LIKE THIS!!!!" Miku screeched, flailing about as best she could.

Then came the final ring. It was right over the building Teto performed in earlier. Flying through it would surely just make Teto crash into it, right? What was she thinking?

"IT'S A DEAD END!! **DEAD!! END!!!** "

"You're gonna lose your voice if ya keep screeching like that!" Piko said.

"FUCKING PI--"

Teto plummeted through the ring. Rather than crashing into the building, the ring generated a portal similar to Miku's. The path it lead to was similar as well; a long, neon pink tunnel decorated with circuit patterns. It was longer than Miku's but no one could tell with Teto going through it in the blink of an eye. Next thing they knew, they were above the UTAUloid part of the area. If she had not spread her wings and slowed down, they would've smacked into the roof of a worn building with the force of a wrecking ball being dropped. Rather than roosting in the area, she flew to Miku's house and placed Piko and a traumatized Miku gently in the snow.

"Tadaa!! We're home!!"

"Nice flying, babe!" Piko gave Teto a thumbs up and a wink.

Without much thought, Miku shoved Piko into the snow. "Never. . .again. . ."

Moments of silence passed before Piko held up a thumbs up again. "Woo!"

"It wasn't that bad!" Teto roosted on the roof, barely avoiding all the lights. "As swift as a Peregrine Falcon!"

"What the fuck are those anyways?! I've NEVER heard of a bird or whatever called THAT."

Piko crawled out of the snow and cleaned himself. "Fastest animal in the human realm. It's a predatory bird that eats other birds and does so by performing its signature dive and practically drop-kicking them to death. Quite a feat to watch."

Teto nodded. "I'm surprised you know so little about them, Miku! The area I saw you perform in last time was filled to the brim with them!"

"I don't focus on the humans' pets anymore! Not after what happened last year. . .anyways, I refuse that death drop you did on the sky was 'fine'! Almost scared the number three outta me. . ."

Teto and Piko widened their eyes and groaned in disgust.

"Yeah, it's true! I feel even _worse_ than I did before all of. . .THIS!" Miku moved her hands around.

"She was just trying to hel--"

"I DIDN'T NEED ANY HELP!!" Miku clenched her fists and was beginning to turn red.

"You need at least a little bit of help if you think _Teto_ of all loids would start a war between Vocaloids and UTAUloids. Sheesh. . .no. Not just 'sheesh'. You oughta be grateful that you have loids who care about you so much!"

"I will _not_ be grateful for something I didn't even _ask for_ ," Miku said through gritted teeth in Piko's face.

Piko glared at Miku and crossed his arms. His tail periodically flopped from one side to the next like an eel barely clinging onto life but refuses to accept the fact.

And Teto just stood there. Her tail curled up tightly and her drills looked like they were drooping. No one would really mind her until Miku let the worst of her come out.

"You! Yooouuu. . .I don't know what it is but I just can't stand you! Always smiling and being as bubbly as a shaken can of soda! No one can be that happy all that time ya know!! I just. . .I can't with you. I _can't_."

"I. . ."

Miku left Teto and Piko out in the snow and slammed the door so hard, the snow piling on the edges of the roof crashed down like a waterfall. It's a mystery how the decorations did nothing more than shake.

Piko ran up to Teto and wrapped his arm around her. They spoke not a word to each other but instead gazed at Miku's house. Piko contained his anger but Teto couldn't muster up a smile anymore. Her drills were as low as they could be, her tail wrapped around her leg, and her cheeks had a pink tint to them.

If Miku would've stayed, she would have come to the realization that Teto isn't always happy. That there were plenty of times where Teto actually _concealed_ her sorrow and anger so she wouldn't "spread it" to anyone else. She would have seen Teto's frown growing bigger and bigger with each passing minute.

But instead she was inside. Unaware of what she's caused, other than a scene. All she knew was they left after what felt like forever; she heard them mumble something, and Teto fly away. She could've sworn she heard a giggle too, making her just a smidge angrier. She too was quiet that night; no one texted her. No one knocked at the door. She was alone.

All alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Days following her outburst, Miku still hasn't left her house nor has anyone tried to contact her. Teto grew worried but Piko stopped her from checking on Miku; he didn't want to risk her breaking his girlfriend's heart again. But today, there was no Piko to stop her; for once, he had a show to get to. When the coast was clear, she flew out her window, flying high so no one would see her, and got there in the blink of an eye. She roosted on a tree very carefully and tried to get a glimpse of Miku through the window.

Miku forced herself to wake up after her alarm rang for the sixth time that morning. Normally she was an early bird but these days, she was barely up before noon. She glared at the alarm clock, resisting the urge to throw it at the wall (again), and smacked the "dismiss" button. She plopped back on the bed and began to drift back to sleep, only to get a peek at a pink-haired chimera sitting in a tree through the blinds. She groaned and covered her face.

"Miku? I. . .I wanna talk," Teto said.

Miku remained under the covers and turned away from the window.

"C'mon. It's been days since you've left the house! And-and I know, normally this wouldn't be a problem but I talked with the others and they said they haven't heard from you at all! I'm worried sick and I'm sure deep down, Piko is too. Just. . .please hear me out?"

Miku was ready to open the windows and scream at Teto but instead, considered her statement. It has been awhile since she's talked with anybody, and her conscience wasn't exactly the best company after two days. With a heavy sigh, she got up and headed straight for the bathroom.

Teto waited anxiously for a response. Part of her _really_ wanted to talk with Miku but another part was ready to give up and head home. The latter was beginning to drown out her other thoughts, and after the tree branch let out a dreadful creek, she sighed and prepared to take off.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Teto gasped like a kid finding the toy they always wanted and said toy happened to be the last one in stock. She looked down and saw Miku in her Miss Claus outfit. She bounced with a little too much joy.

"Miku! You came! You came, you came, you--"

 _Snap._

Teto fell out of the tree with the branch still in her hands. She landed face first in the snow but made a speedy recovery nevertheless.

". . .yep. I came. Now what do you want?"

"To talk! To hang out, ya know, like old times! And by old, I mean less than a week ago."

Miku raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Why do you want to talk, let alone hang out with _me_ of all people? Especially after that outburst. . .don't chimeras bare life-long grudges or something like that?"

"I'm not a chimera from mythology but that's aside the point. Look, I know it seems ridiculous that I even bothered _thinking_ about you after returning you said. But. . .but but but but~. That's not what friends do. And I figured that I need to shed some light on my life to you!"

"Oh joy," Miku said sarcastically while pathetically throwing her hands in the air.

"Come, come! I'll give you a lift!"

Miku widened her eyes. "Nonono, that's _really_ unnece--"

Without a second thought, Teto flew up and grabbed Miku by the arms. She twirled high into the sky and tossed Miku into the air. She moved forward _just_ a smidge, letting the shrieking girl land on her back. Granted, she was brought down quite a bit from the impact but it was nothing she couldn't bounce back from. She wrapped her arms around Miku's legs and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Welcome to the Kasane Express! Please remain seated at all times, refrain from shouting, and please, try to hold your toots until when we land. We will reach our destination shortly and some flying debris is expected. Please brace yourself and we will take off shortly."

". . .what the fu--"

With not a moment to lose, Teto closed her wings and dived faster than the eye could follow. Considering she didn't have much of a choice, Miku leaned down and wrapped her arms around Teto like a teddy bear. She closed her eyes tightly in fear of an unlucky bug or two and only opened her eyes when Teto pulled up and slowed down. Boy, was she right about getting there shortly.

What was once a vibrant, bustling city was now fairly dark and quiet. A few holiday lights were hung up but they were on a much lesser--and smaller--scale than the previous area and were of lower quality. Some of them flickered in an attempt to keep illuminating the place while others were partially smashed or just not working. There were a few UTAUs going about their day but other than that, not much was going on.

"W. . .what is this place?"

". . .wow. You seriously haven't been here? This is where I live!"

"What happened here? You guys really let the place go."

"Actually, there'd be a lot more light if the power plant wasn't directing so much power to the "main" area of the city. During the holidays, it always gets pretty dark around here."

"W-why?!"

"Because you're Vocaloids." Teto roosted on a building in the process of being decorated. "Thank you for taking the Kasane Express!"

Miku climbed off of Teto and looked at the UTAU part of the city in shock. It had a much somber tone to it than the Vocaloid area, and there's not even a defined border between the two.

"Who's doing this?"

"We don't know. We've gone to the power plant numerous times and no one's ever there. Creepy, isn't it?" Teto walked over to the edge. "We try to make the most of it though. Sure, we can never get the high quality decorations you guys get or have the place basking in artificial light but our values and bonds outshine all of that."

"My loid. . ."

"Remember when you said I was always happy?"

Miku nodded.

"Well, I'm not. The reality of it is I get as sad, angry, scared, and more just like anyone else. But. . .I keep smiling for them." Teto pointed at the ground below.

Miku looked down and saw Ruko and Ritsu hauling a massive tree and some decorations to the center of the UTAU area. Ruko slammed the tree into the ground and cleaned her hands once she was sure it wouldn't topple over. Ritsu began to align the bottom of the tree with small but incredibly vibrant ornaments.

"Ruko and Ritsu?"

"No no, the other UTAUs in general. Miku, a majority of us aren't lucky enough to perform for the humans. We're lucky they even know some of us exist. Ruko, Ritsu, Haruka Nana. . .them and more have never set foot on the stage or heard the humans chant their names or clap their hands. _I_ don't even have a clue as to how _I_ obtained such opportunities. We're barely known as our own thing, even though we are. We're not 'Kasane Teto, Namine Ritsu, Yokune Ruko' and more. We're your shadows. We're considered the 'knockoff' versions of you guys. **I'm** considered a knockoff of **you** at times."

"But. . .I don't get it. I've seen them on stage plenty of times."

"They didn't perform. They came to support Piko or the other 'lower' Vocaloids and helped the humans clean up. I suppose Ruko is an exception but humans only really get excited for her because of her voice changing capabilities."

". . .but I always thought that was cool."

"Yes but unlike your--or any other Vocaloid shows--humans don't even pay a dime to see UTAUs perform, nor do they come in such vast qualities. We've no need for money but humans? They're considered to be our sole purpose of existing. Everyone believes the purpose of a loid is to entertain humans, yet here we are; so many haven't even _seen_ humans before. And despite this, more and more UTAUs come in at such a rapid pace compared to Vocaloids, each with a glimmer of hope in their eyes that one day they will be able to make the humans laugh, cry, and so much more, just like you do. But instead, it increases the length of a list. A list full of UTAUs who've had their dreams crushed and in some cases, growing to _despise_ humans." Teto took a deep breath and looked at Miku.

Miku sighed and looked back at Teto. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, let alone who she was hearing it _from_.

"So. . .why do you maintain such a positive outlook knowing UTAUs are going through such hardships?"

"It's because we're going through those hardships that I maintain a smile. I want them to be happy with who they are and stop thinking that humans define who they are. I want them to make new dreams and never give up. I want them to have _hope_. Anger, sadness, all those negative feelings; they spread like a disease. But positive feelings can do the same thing. So that's why I'm so happy all the time; it's not much but to know that I can one day make the UTAU community flourish like the Vocaloid community warms my heart enough to never stop."

Miku's heart sank to her stomach. She looked down in shame and backed away from the edge.

Teto too looked down. "But the reality of it is. . .even though I'm happy a lot, I'm not always happy. There are so many times I muster up a smile but deep down, I'm absolutely devastated and my body barely wants to stand up. There are times when I sing happy songs but really, I just want to scream the most awful things at the sky and never stop. . .and it's those times where smiling hurts."

A long silence formed between the two. Teto looked at Miku after a while but Miku turned her head. She even blocked her peripheral vision.

"Miku?" Teto leaned closer to Miku.

". . .Teto. . .I. . .I. . ."

". . .there's one more place I wanna show you." Without a second to lose, Teto flew up and held onto Miku like a teddy bear. For once, Miku didn't protest.

Teto flew down to an alley and set Miku down gently. She roosted beside her and tinkered with some of the lights so the place didn't look as intimidating. As she worked with the lights, a few UTAUs began to surround the two.

"Hey Teto," Rook said with a little wave.

"Hiya Rook."

"Teto, what are you doing--" One look at Miku was all it took to prompt Tei to bounce back and hiss like a giant cat.

"Uhh. . ." Miku hid behind Teto.

"What's **SHE** DOING HERE!?!?" Tei asked, rummaging through her pockets to find her knife. Instead, she pulled out a cucumber.

"Shhh, shhh. Calm down, Tei. It's just--"

Tei hurled her cucumber. Instead of hitting Miku's head, it bounced off of Teto's shoulder. She winced and held her shoulder.

"Dammit! Hold on, let me see if I actually brought my knife!" Tei began her search.

Miku looked at the cucumber and reached out to it.

"Don't touch it," Teto said.

"Huh?"

"Don't touch it."

"Yeeaahh, Tei has a. . . _special_ relationship with every cucumber she somehow pulls out," Rook added.

Miku thought for a moment and then gagged. She backed away from the vegetable and held onto Teto.

"Damn! I forgot my knife. You're lucky, Hatsune! If I wasn't in a rush this morning, I would've made you into sliced bread!"

"Umm. . .w-w-why were you in such a--"

"Don't ask," Teto said.

"Shut up, Teto!" Tei stomped in Teto and Miku's direction. "If you _must_ know. . ."

"Which she really _didn't_." Rook added.

To prevent further interruptions, Tei threw yet _another_ cucumber, this time at Rook. Strange how she has an infinite supply of cucumbers on her but not a single knife; good for Miku at least.

"AHHHHH, IT TOUCHED ME!!! IT TOUCHED MEEEEEE!!!! Rook screeched as he stared at the "infected" area in horror and ran away flailing.

"Heh. . .back to what I was saying, Len went out for a stroll this morning, _alone_ for once, around that big, stupid park you Vocaloids have. I could finally see my beautiful future husband without the interference of scarf guy, his dumb sister, or even worse: **_YOU_**."

Miku gulped.

Tei sighed. "Man. Really wish I had my knife so I could just cut you like an onion. I must've left it at home. . .or at the park."

"Did she kill loids at the park!?" Miku backed away.

"No, she just always has it on her." Teto crossed her arms. "Mind telling us what you were doing in the park?"

For a minute, Tei didn't say anything. Instead, she slowly pulled out a cucumber and held it outward. She then slowly pointed it towards her genitals and spread her legs.

"You really wanna know what I was doing in the park?"

"Just checking." Teto sighed. "Guess it's good you did that because if you didn't, you'd be a threat to Miku. But instead. . ." Teto walked over to Tei and threw an arm around her. "You'll be lackluster acquaintances!"

"WHAT!?!" For once, Tei and Miku agreed on something.

"Yep! No ifs, ands, or buts about it!"

With that, Teto held onto her friends as tightly as she could and flew high above the city. The flailing and thrashing of said friends caused her to be wobbly and nearly crash into a few buildings. . .and then she _actually_ hit a building, making the two finally realize flailing around like the end was near while being hauled around by a chimera wasn't the brightest idea. When they settled down, they took in the scenery and tried to reach for the occasional blocking cloud, only to be just out of reach of them.

"Wow. . .the sky makes even the gloomiest of places look so. . .mesmerizing," Miku finally said after a long silence.

"Gee, thanks for calling our home 'gloomy'," Tei said with an eye roll.

"I didn't mean it that way!"

"Now now, settle down girls. We're getting to the best part." Teto decreased her elevation and slowed down.

After a wave of clouds, a beautifully lit area stood out in what looked like endless darkness. In that lit circle stood a dozen or more UTAUs, mingling about with presents in hand and various festive costumes; somehow, Halloween and Easter costumes made it into the mix. If one squinted hard enough, the faint outline of a stage could be seen.

"What's this?" Miku asked.

"The Gathering. We do it every year."

"We _used_ to do it once a month but _somebody_ thought it'd be a good idea to hog all the electricity on their side of the city," Tei added.

"Tei, that wasn't her decision."

"Ye-yeah! Honest!"

"That stutter doesn't sound promising. Man, I _reeeallly_ wish I had my knife right now."

"That's enough, Tei." Teto landed in front of the lit area and put her passengers down. "No more threatening Miku for the rest of the day."

" _Rest of the day_? You mean 'no more threatening Miku _period'_ right?"

"I tried that; it never works. She can handle a day at least." Teto glared at Tei. " _Right Tei_?"

Tei crossed her arms and mumbled. "Fine. . ."

Teto bounced a little and smiled. "Great! Now come, come, come! It's about to start!" She grabbed Tei and Miku by the hand and pulled them forward.

As Miku dragged by, the UTAUs ceased their actions and stared. Some of them whispered to each other while others gave Miku a confused or disgruntled look. When Teto finally released her and Tei and flew ahead, she nervously looked at all of them. She held her limbs as closely together as possible as a few UTAUs began nearing her.

After a quick mic test, Teto cleared her throat. "Hello everyone!"

The attention finally shifted from Miku. All of the UTAUs faced Teto in awe.

"I hope you're all excited for. . . the Gathering!"

All of the UTAUs threw their hands in the air and cheered as loudly as they could.

"Now before we begin, I brought a friend from the Vocaloid part of town! I noticed quite a few of you were examining her."

The UTAUs looked at Miku again, much to her dismay.

". . .I hate to sound like a prick but--"

"Why is she here?!?" Ritsu asked, rudely interrupting Rook.

Most of the UTAUs nodded in agreement.

"She's a Vocaloid!" One UTAU said.

"She's the reason our holidays have been so dark!"

"She's the reason the Gathering can't happen monthly anymore!"

More and more UTAUs gave reasons as to why _Miku_ shouldn't be here. Those close to her glared at her and some began to straight up shout she needs to leave.

"Alright, alright, everyone calm down!" Teto said as she waved her arms around to get the community to focus on her again.

The UTAUs quickly settled, but not without a few angry mumblers scattered about.

" _Miku_ didn't do anything. In fact, I don't think _any_ of the Vocaloids are behind the dark winter holidays we've been having the last couple of years. . .in fact, I don't think they even _know_ what's going on over here! The only one who does is Piko, and you know he's been trying to figure out what's wrong."

The UTAUs looked around and nodded.

"Now, say sorry to Miku. Shifting the blame onto others doesn't do anything but cause more trouble. Plus, we're to be strong in the face of adversity! Another thing blaming _doesn't_ do."

One by one, the UTAUs apologized to Miku. Some were much more grumpy about it than others, especially Tei, who wanted to chuck more cucumbers at her.

"Good. Now, let's begin the Gathering!"

Teto hurled the microphone into the air. The UTAUs watched in awe while Miku tilted her head and squinted. When a lucky UTAU caught the microphone, everyone stepped to the side and made a path to the stage. Then the lucky UTAU stepped out: It was one of the ones Teto mentioned earlier, Haruka Nana. She took a deep breath with the microphone held up to her chest and strolled down the path. When she arrived at the stage, she straightened herself and cleared her throat before kicking things off with a slow Christmas song.

Teto returned to Miku and landed next to her. "What do you think?" She whispered.

"I. . . don't know. . . what to think. What is this?"

"The Gathering. Every UTAU comes to this here stage for a chance to perform and support their fellow loids. Ya know, since human performances are such a rare occurrence for so many. As Tei said, we used to do this monthly but. . . complications arose."

"Wow. . ."

"Yep." Teto put her hands on her hips and held her head up. "Piko and I came up with it after one of his shows."

Speaking of Piko, he managed to show up with dozens of gifts in his arms and wrapped up tightly in his tail.

"Am I late? Am I late!?" He asked as he tried to look over the gifts.

Various UTAUs shushed him and helped him put away the presents.

". . .oops," he whispered.

Just as Piko was about to watch the show, he heard Teto and Miku whispering. He glared at them and signaled them to move away from the crowd. Hesitantly, Teto grabbed Miku and flew away from the Gathering with Piko followed them.

When Teto and Miku were grounded, Piko went off. "What's going on here!? Teto, I thought I told you not to talk to Miku!"

"I know, I know. . .but you know I couldn't just leave her like that, especially when Christmas is tomorrow!"

Piko crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "She deserves _coal_ for Christmas."

"Piko, please don't be like that. . ." Teto held Piko's hand and rubbed his arm.

Piko's tail tapped the ground angrily and let out a few shocks every couple of taps. He couldn't choose what to be mad about more: His girlfriend going behind his back or Miku's previous actions.

"Piko, look. I'm sorry for how--"

"I don't want to hear it." Piko sighed. "If you're _truly_ sure she's changed, I guess it's fine. But I'm not buying it and I'm not happy you went against me, especially when your drills spun when I did something similar."

"I'm sorry, honey." Teto pecked Piko on the cheek. "I'll be more open next time. I promise."

"Thank you." Piko kissed Teto's forehead and looked over at Miku. "You got some work to do."

"Great observation, Captain Obvious." Miku rolled her eyes. "I think I already got it covered. I'm gonna need you guys' help though."

While the Gathering went on, our main trio got to work. Miku informed all of the Vocaloids of her plan and gave everyone a job to do. Teto and Piko were in charge of setting up the stage and inviting UTAUs as they finished performing. Some helped make room for what's to come and managed the presents while most were given the easiest--yet Teto's personal favorite--job: Moral support. Within a couple of hours, everything was set for tomorrow:

A new Gathering.


End file.
